COMPOSITION, MICROSTRUCTURE AND RHX DATING OF ROMANESQUE RELIEF CERAMIC TILES

Abstract

The fragments of Romanesque relief terracotta tiles were found during archaeological research in Prague, Czech Republic. The finding represents a part of the floor in the Early Romanesque rotunda. The aim of this work was to evaluate microstructure and ageing process and to consider possibility of the preparation of these tiles by using local raw materials. Thermal analysis was used to characterize fine fractions of samples. Chemical and mineralogical composition of tiles and surface decoration were compared and discussed. The application of rehydroxylation (RHX) dating method was studied. It was proved, that the differences in the ceramic body phase composition of the tiles were caused by variable firing temperatures. The results indicate that tiles were imported and not produced from local raw materials.

Keywords

• Terracotta tiles
• Microstructure
• X-ray techniques
• Thermal analysis
• Dating
• Rehydroxylation